Chris Jones's Blog, page 7

I think I’m gonna need a bigger notebook! LondonSWF365 exceeding even our hopes…

One week in and not we are not even a third of the way there… LondonSWF365 seems to be doing exactly what we had hoped… Elevating energy, inspiring actiod, feeding the creative soul, loading the mind, and connecting like minded folk with their tribe. It’s exceeding even my own expectations and I had VERY high ones!

There is still time to join and ALL sessions are recorded and available online for one year. Use the code ELEVATE to get £10 off and get immediate access… Schedudule HERE and speakers HERE.

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Here’s what people are saying one week in…

‘I think I’m gonna need a bigger notebook.’
Pea Woodruff // Writer, Filmmaker

‘I love the mixture of the inspirational and the contemplative. The generosity of the screenwriters to share their expertise and compassion for up and coming writers is humbling. More than ever I see how important the festival is for writers – it should be essential treatment for mental well-being for creatives.’
Lucy Van Smit // Writer, Author, Filmmaker, Documentary Maker

‘Having Pros at the top of their game available to us for questions and inspiration is amazing! The vibe is off the dial! I’m having a great time, and during a lockdown, that’s pretty incredible!’
Lynn Mueting // Writer

‘LondonSWF365 is absolutely what I need right now. The team have brought together a mixture of fun, inspiration, and support all stirred up with a serious measure of hope. Can’t wait for all the new views, new horizons and new journeys.’
Bobby Stevenson // Writer

‘LondonSWF365 is so motivating and educational. I am learning so much that I’m going to need an external hard drive for my brain soon to store all the useful information that I’ve amassed in the last four days.’
Suzanne Reddi // Writer

‘I feel so blessed that I took the decision to attend LondonSWF365. I’ve already started to write down everything I can imagine, an activity I was too afraid to trust before. I’ve also met so many wonderful people through the festival!’
Zoe Sigalou // Actress, Writer  

‘The festival has energized me and I’m loving the variety of choices that are available.’
Yvonne Potter // Researcher, Screenwriter  

‘The programming is incredibly well spaced and carefully sequenced.’
Cathy Brooks-Baket // Researcher , Writer  

‘I love the passion, energy, thoughts and effort put behind each session. I hope that this is a model for future festivals which allows so many more people to take part. It is also really helpful for me to listen and learn from those who have experienced and lived through a variety of moments in their career.’
George Watson // Filmmaker

‘There’s an excellent range of speakers sharing very good information. I loved the very positive real-life pitching advice in the Jonathan Butler and Gabriel Garza session (The Flash) and now I’m thinking of following that route and going to LA, which I possibly wouldn’t have thought of without LondonSWF365. I find three sessions a day spread out over a month is much better than a packed weekend too. And as always with LondonSWF, I am inspired!’
John Perry // Producer

‘LondonSWF365 has such a variety of talks and sessions. There are so many tips I am going to take on to make my writing better.’
Kath Kirkland // Writer

‘LondonSWF365 offers the perfect incentive for film ideas that I’ve had spinning around in my head for a while.’
Julie Sandwell // Screenwriter

‘I’ve attended everything so far and every speaker has been inspiring as well as practical. I’ve emailed a group of 40 people and raved about the festival and told them to book now!’
Anna Littler// Film and theatre maker

‘Because of attending LondonSWF365, I ’m now writing a sequel I never thought I would do. ’
James Allen // Screenwriter, Director

‘I must say it’s great that LondonSWF365 have put everything online and the website is easy to use. I have caring responsibilities so it would be hard for me to travel to London even without a pandemic.’
James Turner // Filmmaker

‘Overall, I feel more energized about my projects after listening to gifted artists speak from the heart. It is genuinely uplifting, inspiring and leaves me feeling optimistic about the future.’
Eddie McFadden // Screenwriter

‘Attending LondonSWF365 has definitely reinvigorated me and made me feel I can actually do this. ’
Annette Smith // Writer, Filmmaker, Actor

‘I’ve never been to an online conference were everything was running so smoothly. Thanks so much for everything!’
Anonymous // Screenwriter

‘LondonSWF365 makes me want to roll up my sleeves and write.’
Eileen Wilson // Screenwriter

‘I am so happy I joined this festival and already recommended it to many friends and colleagues. It´s inspiring, insightful, honest, helpful, generous and just brilliant!’
Miriam Duessel // Producer

‘The online LondonSWF365, like its predecessor, has a kind of greatness to it. It addresses the breadth of skills a writer needs, pays attention the more personal aspects such as networking and maintains confidence that many might naturally shy away from, and above all shows a huge and supportive generosity of spirit in the understanding, advice and encouragement given by its speakers and organisers.’
John Herbert // Writer

‘It’s been great to watch, learn, listen and talk to so many people who have had experiences in the industry and are so kind and supportive of others. I have learned a lot about where to start, get feedback, and take part in competitions. As someone who lacks confidence, getting more direction has been very useful for me.’
Charles Nelson // Charity Worker With Dreams

‘Last year I’ve already learned more in a month than in the 10 years before… This time I’m even more motivated!!! LSF is a bubble of happiness and hope!’
Julie Bertrand // Screenwriter

‘I make time as much as I can beside work to attend the sessions. So inspiring and motivating to get stuff done!’
Nathalie Wechsler-Seibel // Writer

‘The main thing I’ve taken so far is that I need to put myself out there a lot more. I am inspired by how the Pro’s pursuit to get their work in the right hands to be seen and heard. I don’t think that message is reinforced enough on the way up so its great hearing it out of every single one of them.’
Stephen Cooper // Scriptwriter, Photographer, Filmmaker

‘The festival has given me a much broader and in-depth understanding of the craft – of the whole process of film making in general. Every session brings new thoughts and ideas. To have full online access to such a high-level and professional event for the price of a pair of trainers is amazing – I don’t know how you do it, but I’m extremely glad that you do. I don’t want the festival to ever end!’
Darren Grenfell // Screenwriter

‘LondonSWF365 feels like a real re-boot in terms of creativity. I especially appreciate the new component on mental health. I feel optimistic and raring to go.’
Chantal Schaul // Writer

‘Loving the festival as it always feels like coming home. I always learn something new from the speakers as they inspire me to dig deeper into my stories and go the extra mile.’
Cera Rose Pickering // Screenwriter, Actress, Novelist

‘A huge variety in speakers, and something to learn from each and every one of them. I’ve come away from those sessions in absolute awe and with a renewed commitment to keep going with my writing after two very dark years. I love the emphasis on well-being too; it’s so appropriate and so needed. While it does principally cater for newbie writers, the festival is a wonderful event for more experienced writers too. Whether it’s to refresh what you already know, or maybe consider it from a different angle so that you come away with a valuable new twist, or to take advantage of the opportunity to delve into something you might not normally embrace, the festival is unmissable.’
KT Parker // Writer

‘LondonSWF365 is making me start to work on some ideas that I have left behind due to lack of confidence. The general tone of “just write whatever is in you” has been amazing!’
Gordon Slack // Writer

‘To be able to watch the recordings afterwards is great, so the schedule doesn’t tie you up. Also the zooms where you can meet and talk with colleagues is very important, not only during these strange times, but in general as well since this work makes you feel rather lonesome at times. Plus all the advice and information I take with me from the sessions push me forward, and hopefully opens up more possibilities.’
Kaisa El Ramly // Writer Director

‘LondonSWF365 gives me something to look forward to every day.’
Jean Buchanan // Writer

‘LondonSWF365 has me feeling great about how much power a story holds and how we can get our stories out into the world. So much inspiration abounds- I’ll be making films on my iPhone before this Festival is over! I’m in the US, but I have been able to attend almost everything live, and I love how quickly you post everything so that even if I “miss” it, I don’t feel left out for long. I have encouraged my friends who write short stories and novels to give LondonSWF365 a try (I loved the last one!) because it gives a new perspective on writing and character that is more immediate. I found that after the last LSF I went back to my novel and was able to really get in and change the structure of it, resulting in a much stronger work. After all those years of studying fiction, I didn’t have the right structure, but then I got into the festival (it’s almost like an immersion class, how we all just jump in and hear from so many brilliant people), and as if by magic, I absorbed something that just intuitively taught me what was wrong with the book, and how to restart with a scene that showed the characters with an immediate external goal that now runs throughout the book, helping the characters develop as they also go about with their more internal goals. THANK YOU for allowing us all to drop in on so many lessons and conversations that give us the hidden keys that give us the power to unlock meaningful stories. LondonSWF365 is the BEST!!!’
Stephanie Robinson // Writer

‘You know how when you’re decorating you’ll go to a wallpaper shop? If it’s a good shop the people there will recommend the best paper for your walls and have all the other things you need for your unique rooms. Well LondonSWF365 is your one stop shop for all your decorating (of scripts) needs. When I signed up I thought I’d talk about my wallpaper, and ask for advice on paste, scissors etc. Instead they have done something I wasn’t expecting. I’ve come through their online doors, and in their sessions they’ve obviously talked about wallpaper, but the most important thing to me during this time is them asking how I’m coping with my creativity at this point and how that affects my decorating? A huge question I’ve barely let myself think about during a time when I’ve been at my least creative with empty rooms waiting for fresh colour.

Their sessions have helped me think about the rooms I’m working on. Have I done my prep work, or do I have smooth enough walls with no remnants of old anaglypta, which could ultimately cause my wallpaper not to adhere, and lead to a wastage of time and paper. They’ve helped me think about whether I’m ready to do the wee bathroom, the full house or what feels like a castle renovation.

All of this they have crammed in in such a short space of time, with guidance from the most amazing decorators who are at the top of their game. The scope, colour and brilliance of the L ondonSWF 365 rooms I’ve visited in the past five days have given me a much needed impetus to set up my pasting table, unfurl my paper and use the sharp scissors I feel like they’ve handed me through their enlightening sessions.
So… if you’re like me and want to get the most out of your decorating then click on the link and join a whole host of worldwide screenwriters hearing about the things we didn’t know we didn’t know about bringing our rooms to life. ’
Katie White // Writer, Filmmaker

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones
My movies www.LivingSpiritGroup.com
My Facebook www.Facebook.com/ChrisJonesFilmmaker
My Twitter @LivingSpiritPix

Sign up to my mailing list for updates on
events, books and free film making tools

 

So it seems we have managed to achieve the impossible… Make Zooms and Online Sessions Exhilarating, Exciting and Fun!

The feedback from the first couple of days at LondonSWF365 is in and it’s bonkers good! I am delighted as we have worked really hard to make it high energy and exciting so as to enhance the learning, opportunities and experience of everyone attending.

All sessions are recorded to watch later, so you can still join and not miss out on anything. With 20 days of live events ahead of us, it’s still the best £60 you can spend in February… Sign up here… https://www.screenwritersfestival.online/

And here’s what people are saying…

‘Fantastic. Great information, really well produced technically. Do it! Do it now!’
Kristan Tetens / Screenwriter

‘Talk about setting a high bar! There are a dozen events each worth the price of admission. But to add to the value there’s access to recorded sessions, downloads, and social events. If you’re looking for courage, and community, LSF is the place to be.’
Pea Woodruff / Writer Filmmaker

‘Such an amazing insight and it’s only day two!’
Matt Crofts / Writer and filmmaker

‘So inspiring. Looking forward to the rest of the festival.’
Alastair Marshall / Writer/director

‘Uplifting. Exciting. Informal. Easy going. A lot going on. Glad I signed up, it will keep me in raised spirits.’
Claire Doyle / Writer

‘Very friendly and inspirational.’
Rebecca Robinson / Screenwriter

‘I particularly enjoyed Scott Myers lecture on ‘rule breaking’. It is great to have complete control over the sessions: stop, go back, reflect, return.’
Woody Harding / Screenwriter

‘Don’t hesitate and sign up for the festival. It’s “education x entertainment” and unbelievable value for money.’
Eddie McFadden / Screenwriter

‘Wonderfully inspiring! It’s great fun, excellent value for money’
Carina Krause / Writer

‘Exciting and well structured. Great variety of webinars so far!’
Abi Smith / Screenwriter

‘It’s just been wonderful- so inspiring and thought provoking! Thank you as always for this! 2021 already feels brighter, and the world a bit kinder and more creative and full of joy thanks to everyone involved. I just can’t recommend the festival enough!’
Varsha Shah / Writer

‘Inspiring. Infectious enthusiasm to make you want to sink your teeth back into your writing. So, nice to get up with LSF to look forward to and nice to see Speakers as one of the gang like the rest if us. Do it. It will be £60 well spent!’
Eileen Wilson, Screenwriter

‘Lots of energy and we all need that at the moment. At £60 you get workshops, talks, chances to chat to those in the know, networking, pitching chances, soooo much.’
Rachael Howard / Writer

‘Terrific content, technically going great. Enough sessions in the day, not too many, not too little. Best value for money around.’
Leslie Grice / Screenwriter

‘It’s been great, packed with inspiration and insights and delivered with such high energy. I deeply appreciate it and look forward to participate throughout the month! THANK YOU for putting all this together. Come join the fun – totally worth it!’
Anna / Writer

‘Good stuff! Do it!’
Annemarie Flanagan / Writer/ Film Festival Director

‘I’ve learned so much in two days regarding my writing and how to improve and bolster my screenplays.’
Ellis / Writer

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones
My movies www.LivingSpiritGroup.com
My Facebook www.Facebook.com/ChrisJonesFilmmaker
My Twitter @LivingSpiritPix

Sign up to my mailing list for updates on
events, books and free film making tools

 

Tomorrow… Screenwriting Immersion Begins Online at LondonSWF365

Buckle up… Nearly a month of screenwriting events begin tomorrow at 7:30pm, all live and available to watch on demand after for one year. We have over 100 sessions set up and around 50 world-class speakers.

Now, here’s the biggest reason to join us: Momentum.

For many of us, February will be a tough month, but as in life, we pass through seasons.

We are both literally and metaphorically in the dark of winter. For many of us, uncertainty, loss on so many fronts and just plain old lockdown fever may be getting the better of us. I know it has for me. I have really passed through some terrible darkness over the last few months. Frankly I am surprised I managed to get out of bed some days. So yeah. There’s that.

So we designed the festival to combat this…

Yes there are amazing and inspiring sessions from the best trainers and screenwriters in the world. But also, community. Togetherness. Inspiration and elevation. Daily immersion in storytelling, film, TV… all the good stuff we love so much.

We become the people we hang out with, so join us and spend the rest of February hanging out with crazy, inspirational, excited, creative, passionate, friendly people.

What’s wrong with the world, conspiracy, rage, frustration, anger… those things are all available to you also. Again, I have spent my fair share of time in those places. But it’s not made my life, career or head space any better. No. It’s made it worse.

So I invite you to reconnect with the bigger possibilities and people who can encourage you, and help you on that journey. Again, CHOOSE to hang out with people who elevate you. Design your month of February. Even if you have to squeeze it in between damn zooms, home schooling, dealing with relatives who need help… I get it, right now there is an angry five-year-old ten feet from me refusing to write out his sentences as we have been thrust into homeschooling.

Damnit!

Again, what’s wrong is always available, it’s always there.

So let us be that light in the darkest days of this winter season.

And when we emerge, the dawn of spring will be upon us. Again, both literal and metaphorical. Together we will be positioned to embrace that change of season and prepare to fully unleash, unstoppable and with MOMENTUM… This is the heart of what we are doing. Getting us tooled up, mindset elevated, and networks expanded for the creative summer that is awaits those of us who can fix our gaze forward and upward.

You can read more about the festival, speakers and schedule on the site…www.ScreenwritersFestival.Online

Dive in, elevate, gain momentum, learn loads, make relationship and prepare for the unimaginably exciting new world that awaits on the other side.

So tomorrow, I will be hanging out with Peter Craig the writer of the last two Hunger Games movies, the new Batman film – and also Scott Myers, one of our highest rated speakers at LSF. So will hundreds of other screenwriters. Where will you be?

Join us. It will make the difference you want and need. Promise.

Chris Jones
Captain of LondonSWF
www.ScreenwritersFestival.Online

‘Just want to say a huge thank you for putting together LondonSWF Online. I’ve been absolutely blown away by so many amazing speakers. Huge, huge thank you to all involved.’
Caroline Knudsen, Screenwriter

‘I wanted to thank you and the team for putting on the most amazing festival this year. I’ve been to LSWF twice before, and this is the best yet. It’s actually brought structure to my day during Covid, as I have 3-4 sessions with top Film and TV people to listen to and engage with in Q&As. Your zoom cafes and writing exercises have been great for networking and have also kickstarted my writing, which completely dried up at the start of the pandemic. In the smaller breakout rooms, I also feel more comfortable meeting new people, as it’s less intimidating than entering a huge room with hundreds of people. Thanks a million to all of you. You’ve created a virtual festival like no other. Well done!’
Joe Solomon, Writer/ Director

‘Suddenly my quarantine life made sense and I was lifted up and motivated. And it’s not just the festival, but you and your team who brought happiness and hope into our homes.’
Stefania Orion, Screenwriter

‘Lockdown might have been in place, and with it came challenges here at home, but my laptop screen became a portal to another world of energy and creativity and hope and faith. And belief in the work people strive to do as best as they can. As the Festival went on, I had a deep sense of something profound and important coming to birth, and that at the heart of it, making it happen, were generous creatives and artists, who were also human beings in the fullest sense of the word. Truly thank you very much for having the vision and courage to put this on.’
Anita Reid, Writer

‘This is such a perfect mix! I’m an ambivert, and LSF365 is both sociable AND introvert-friendly! There’s a thrill in communing together in chat during a live session but when I can’t pull an Aussie all-nighter, then having the sessions On Demand is such a fantastic resource. I’ve often rewatched a livestream immediately the live event finishes to consolidate, concentrate and reflect. An incredible value-for-money resource. It’s flexible and practical, and the positive friendly vibe of the live festival has miraculously survived the interwebs! Bravo!’
Trish Curtin, Screenwriter, Australia

Meet The Speakers At LondonSWF365 February 2021… the Online Breakthrough Festival For Screenwriters

So LondonSWF365 is almost upon us and I thought I would share the speakers here… You can get a pass for £60 for the whole month here… https://www.screenwritersfestival.online/speakers-2021

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Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones
My movies www.LivingSpiritGroup.com
My Facebook www.Facebook.com/ChrisJonesFilmmaker
My Twitter @LivingSpiritPix

Sign up to my mailing list for updates on
events, books and free film making tools

 

Screenwriters, here’s how we are going to make February the BEST month of 2021…

I just spent five days deep inside an Arts Council Grant Application for the Festival, but in parallel the team has been ridiculously productive—launching new sessions, announcing new speakers and elevating the whole of February from Awesome to… even Awesomer!

We planned the festival for February as we could see that on all fronts it could be a challenging time for us all, with so much uncertainty (and, you know, the damn mundane apocalypse).

So let me offer you some outstanding certainty!

We are running our February Festival for screenwriters from Feb 5th to 28th, with nearly 100 events and over 50 speakers. All are both LIVE and On Demand to watch at your convenience for one year. Here’s what you can expect…

Get inspired daily… so you will write more productively.Get writing craft insight and breakthroughs daily… so your writing and screenplays are improved.See the road ahead more clearly… so you can better prepare for the new world, rules and industry we are ALL living into.Connect with people like you daily… you WILL make new friends, and make contacts that will help you on YOUR journey.Wake up EXCITED… every day will be an exhilarating adventure into creativity, imagination, storytelling and shared experiences.

Look. I don’t know anyone who isn’t suffering in one way or another. Financially, mentally, physically or just our old friend nagging in our head about ‘what the hell is going on, how will we get through it, what is on the other side?’

So join us from Feb 5th to 28th when we can come together, celebrate, elevate and create our future together. We have worked our asses off to create this magical experience for you—to help you, and all of us—through this time.

And I know this too: if we can ALL elevate ourselves in February, those around us will feel that energy, excitement and passion. It will help them face their own feelings about getting through each day. And isn’t that what we do? We tell stories to help people through their lives. Truth is, that is our calling and sacred duty.

OK… So yes, we have the screenwriters of Captain Marvel and Inside Out, Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna, joining us. Also we have Ann Druyan who wrote Contact with her husband, the late Carl Sagan, talking Science FACTion. And… Kate Brooke on a career writing hit shows like A Discovery of Witches, and… oh look, we have SO many people, just head over and check out the speakers here… https://www.screenwritersfestival.online/speakers-2021

And the schedule here…. www.screenwritersfestival.online/schedule-feb-2021

So yes, we do have amazeballs speakers and sessions, but it’s the immersion for the month that will make the difference.
Passes are £60 for full access both live and on-demand afterward. The chatter and friendships forged during the live experience alone are worth joining for… Sign up here… www.screenwritersfestival.online

We have designed February to be the best month of the year! It’s bold. It’s ambitious. It’s damn-well audacious. Join in, you won’t regret it. So yeah, Awesomer. Promise.

Chris Jones
Captain of the London Screenwriters’ Festival

jQuery( document ).ready(function() { jQuery('#iframe_88830').iFrameResize({ checkOrigin: false }); setTimeout("if(jQuery('#iframe_88830').css('height') == '0px') { jQuery('#iframe_88830').css('height','1500px'); }",2000); }); Here’s some feedback from LondonSWF365 last year…

‘Amazing. My knowledge and appreciation of the craft has improved tenfold. My learning has accelerated more in the past month than in the past year. The London SWF 365 has proved to be an absolute goldmine – cannot praise it highly enough! Well done Mr. Jones and your amazing team for making this incredible event happen in such a reliable and affordable way.’
Darren Grenfell, Screenwriter

‘The festival experience has been a thousand times bigger than I expected, but also a million times closer and more friendly than something this big has any right to be. An amazing collection of writers, film-makers and educators on my computer and in my ears. And I’ve made new friends, and found new heroes. Thank you to the whole team!’
Matthew White, Screenwriter

‘It has come as a breath of inspirational fresh air! Considering what’s been going on in the outside world, this has been the pick me up that I needed and reminded me what a special place the Festival creates for everyone. Thank you all as you’ve adapted and worked your socks off every day to improve it from session to session!!!’
Hector Figueroa, Screenwriter

‘This was my first time attending LSF as I finally felt like I could afford it. It has been wonderful getting to interact with other writers and I feel like I have learnt a lot. It has also helped to build my confidence in who I am as a writer and to not be scared about getting my work out there.’
Helen Ward, Screenwriter

Session at LSF365 inspires real life regional feature filmmaking…

On the 31st of May last year, during the London Screenwriters Festival 365, I had the pleasure of watching Clive Frayne’s DIY Script Doctor session and subsequent script chat. I found that Clive’s thoughts about regional filmmaking chimed very close to my own, so we connected on Twitter. Our discussions on Twitter lead to a face-to-face Zoom meeting, during which Clive kicked my ass and helped me get my mojo for filmmaking back.

This journey has led me to The Mire, a contained psychological feature film being shot in Portsmouth this year. It’s the story of a cult leader who is caught by his two most loyal followers whilst he is escaping with money stolen from his congregation. A battle of wits unfolds over the course of one evening as each of them attempts to manipulate, reform, and outwit the others. To bring this story to life I’ve partnered with the incredible writer Chris Watt and Familiar Stranger Films, a production company local to Portsmouth.

Using Clive’s notion of ‘sweat equity’ and offering shares to the principal cast/crew, we’ve managed to get the ‘hard’ costs of The Mire down to £4000, which we’re trying to raise through crowdfunding. Contributing to our campaign will provide a real boost for regional filmmaking to Portsmouth, something I hold very dear to my heart. Films don’t have to be made in London, there are other settings, with other stories, and these deserve to be heard.

It’s been an odd year, and if you can’t contribute financially you could still help us a lot by sharing the campaign out into your network of contacts.

You can learn more about the film and what we’re offering at igg.me/at/themirefilm

Find the team on Twitter at:

@AppleParkFilms
@thechriswatt
@FamStraFilms

…and the ass kicker himself – @clivefrayne

Adam D Nelson
Filmmaker

PS – Tickets are now on sale for the February month long onling screenwriters festival here… www.ScreenwritersFestival.online

 

 

Meet The Filmmakers Behind Exam with Stuart Hazeldine and Mark Talbot Butler

I am sharing this rare interview with Stuart and Mark that I recorded after a screening of EXAM, a cracking British thriller set in one room. Mark, who died a few days ago, was a very close friend and also the editor of EXAM. I just wanted to share this footage as so little exists of him. Not to mention the insights into how this cracking movie was made. Enjoy!

Here is the Screenplay in PDF format – DOWNLOAD HERE

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones

My movies www.LivingSpiritGroup.com

My Facebook www.Facebook.com/ChrisJonesFilmmaker

My Twitter @LivingSpiritPix

Sign up to my mailing list for updates on

events, books and free film making tools

 

Nothing Evokes A Memory As Powerfully As Music

In the early part of 1990, I found myself directing my first feature film at the age of 20. Standing in a freezing forest in Wales in the early hours of a February morning, I recall the convoy of trucks thundering up the side of the mountain.

It evoked the opening shot from the little known Michael Mann vampire film ‘The Keep’, as trucks thundered through mountains (also shot in Wales) the hypnotic music of Tangerine Dream.

Mark Talbot Butler was with me and we both marvelled at how life had now begun to not just reflect art, but the movies we so dearly loved.

The making of The Runner was an experience yet to be bested in my life, and that’s in no small part down to the people around me at that time. Gen, Jon, Terry, Johnny, Gary, Dickens, Cathy, Jane, Truce, Terrance, Adrian, Lisa, Stef, Nick, Owen, Andrew, Lee… and so many more. And of course Mark.

As I am sure you know Mark, the editor of The Runner (and also the writer and camera operator) died two days ago, and I am still struggling to process it. We also lost Johnny Kevorkian this year too. Both all too soon.

Only a month ago I spoke with Gen and Mark about a Runner screening event online to celebrate 30 years. And now this event HAS to happen. I will be connecting with everyone I can track down from The Runner and announcing plans as soon as I can.

The soundtrack which was recorded in our front room and performed by Gary Pinder is perhaps the most evocative element for me, as it takes me right back there.

If you love synth scores from action movies of the 80’s and 90’s, do yourself a favour and journey back down memory lane…

 



Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones

My movies www.LivingSpiritGroup.com

My Facebook www.Facebook.com/ChrisJonesFilmmaker

My Twitter @LivingSpiritPix

Sign up to my mailing list for updates on

events, books and free film making tools

 

We lost another great British Film Talent… Sparkie… MTB… Mark Talbot-Butler

When I reflect on any significant relationship in my life, that person has often gifted me something.

Mark Talbot-Butler, who I just found out died last night, gave me the gift of rigorously high standards.

Mark was best known for being a film editor, something I experienced first hand with him more than once. I have known Mark for the majority of my life and his influence on me personally, cannot be underestimated.

We live our lives in eras, or seasons.

MTB as we all knew him then (others later knew him as Sparkie), showed up first when I was probably around 15, at a film and TV geek shop in Manchester called Odyssey Seven. Only four weeks ago we were chatting about this on FB. At the time he was just a guy in the shop, but without doubt the skinniest guy I had ever seen, and one with a slightly maniacal glint in his eye.

Cut to five years later and Bournemouth Film School where I had managed to blag myself a place.

Mark was the year above me and we quickly became friends, bonding over Aliens, Jaws and so many other movies. We worked on many projects together and that’s where I began to learn about high technical standards from him. I was his assistant editor on a major project and learned so much.

He was no easy going task master too, often rude, aggressive and dominating.  

Soon after film school he ended up working on our first feature film together, The Runner. A film that became iconic through The Guerilla Filmmakers Handbook, and a baptism of fire for all involved.

This era of my life was a crucible of fire.

At 21, I was learning more every single day than I would in a year later in my life. And Mark was right there next to me. He wrote the script as we needed one. He edited the film as he alone had the skillset. He operated camera as dammit, he just loved it.

We were all way out of our depth and loving every second of it.

One enduring memory was kitting up for a flight in RAF choppers, wearing the full kit and walking along the tarmac… me, Mark, Gen and Jon Walker, in what felt like slow motion.

Mark and I exchanged words and laughs… It was genuinely a dream come true to be loading a camera into a chopper, knowing that in a moment we would be hanging out and shooting shots for the film. This is all before health and safety of course.

That film experience was the best of times, and of course, the worst.

Mark had his demons too, and he grappled with them even more through the nineties and noughties. I saw it up close and personal more than once and it was tough to see it.

And then a miracle happened. Tanya.

Tanya, Marks wonderful wife, was the anchor he needed in his turbulent seas.

That tough, aggressive, combative and sometimes downright rude edge was softened and the Mark we all loved, began to sparkle once more. At his wedding he was a transformed man, and more recently, he moved out of his flat in Foley street in Soho, and into the country. Something the old Mark would have never, and I mean, NEVER have done.

I am not sure I knew anyone with a greater depth of knowledge and deep passion about film as Mark.

As much as I often wanted to punch him, I also loved him dearly and I learned soooooo much from him.

And so Mark, I will choose to remember that moment, flying above the sea around Anglesey, all kitted up in flight gear, pilots helmet on, visor down, Arri BL2 S16 camera on the shoulder, sitting on the edge of an open door in the Sikorsky Sea King chopper, banking steeply and looking at each other… your face with the widest grin I had ever seen. We weren’t just making a movie. We are in a movie. In that moment, we WERE the movie. Magic and magic shared.  

I hope you took that same chopper flight as you left this world. It was the best.  

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones

My movies www.LivingSpiritGroup.com

My Facebook www.Facebook.com/ChrisJonesFilmmaker

My Twitter @LivingSpiritPix

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events, books and free film making tools

 

Listen to EVERY Bedtime Story Read By Santa from our Big Book Of Adventure Stories

In the run up to Christmas, we ran a children’s book challenge to write one of twenty five short stories that we would then publish in a book, and also ask Santa to read! One for every night in December.

We have uploaded then all now to watch here.

Huge thanks to all the writers, Michael van Koetsveld (who played Santa) and Savannah Morgan, who held EVERYTHING together while donning super large Elf ears!

What a HUGE and extraordinary success this has been, and you can get a copy of the book of Amazon HERE.

Join Santa on a magical, imaginative Christmas adventure and discover the world’s smallest giant, a planet of colourless aliens, snowed in tooth fairies, a lonely superhero, witches in search of yuletide spirit, a back-to-front girl, lots and lots of naughty animals, and a self important sock in need of a lesson! Inventive Christmas tales with timeless messages from twenty five new and eclectic writers. Unleash the imagination!

 

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones

My movies www.LivingSpiritGroup.com

My Facebook www.Facebook.com/ChrisJonesFilmmaker

My Twitter @LivingSpiritPix

Sign up to my mailing list for updates on

events, books and free film making tools